Rack for clay products



.July 29, 1930. H. D. MCKENZIE 1,771,414

RACK FOR CLAY PRODUCTS Filed Oct. 20, 1928 4 INVENTOR. flflKoLD 27 MKE/YZ/E,

A TTORNEY 40 nomical p Patented July 29, 1930 UN IYTED STATesP TE O E 1 A H ROLD 1). MCKENZIE, on BRAZIL, INDIANA, AssIeNon, BY MESNE AssIeNmENrs, To

1 a CLAY PRODUCTS COMPANY, me, or INDIANA, A coRPoRATIo oF DELAWARE BACK FOR CLAY PRODUCTS 1 alate filed cameram n. Serial No. 1313.717.

Thi sinventio n relates to a rack for clay products and particularly with respect to a movable support having multiple clay condun s c 1 Heretofor'eithas been" customary to run the clay: sections, asthey are discharged from the forming machine and cut,fon;to a rigid rack'havingfixed end horns for determining thelength ofthe sections. In the usual practice, ashort section, ultimately used as a pedestal, precedes the main long section of theconduit,'the short section abutting against the rigid horns. WVith the rigid horns, it was necessary, in order to bevel the ends ofthe conduit to wait until they were dried before they could be removed for permitting separation of the short" andlong-sec'tions and access to the abutting end of the latter; v

C It is the object of this invention to provide a rack with.ahingedendplatforrn of substantially the s'ame length as the short section for the purpose ofsupporting the same, the horns being rigidly secured to the hinged platform. By means of this arrangement, whenthe short andlong sections reach their position upon thefrack,ithe short section rests upon the I hinged platform whereas the long section rests upon the main platform body. It is then possible, whilethe'clay is stillsoft to release the latch-holding the hinged platform in place andpermitit to drop downwardly so thatthe horns extend. in horizontal position. for sup porting the short section. This exposes the endso'f the long or main section so that access I mlay readilybe h'ad thereto for bevelingthe ends'otthefjducts therein Such beveling operation being performedwhile the clay is jinthe green or soft state renders it much more satisfactory result, efi'ecting amore ecojod c lia wel am mere'pe ,beyelon the'end of the section. ff i i The full, nature of the. inventionfwill be understood from theaccompanyingdrawings andthe following descriptionand claims: A; In the drawings,Fig.f1 isa diagrammatical illustration of the discharging, cutting and trucking device employed for positioningfth'e shortand long conduits uponthe rack, with the rack shown in relation thereto. Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the rack showing the hinged platform insupporting position in full lines and in lowered positionindotted lines; Fig. 3 is a plan View of the rack with parts thereof broken away. I Fig. 4 isa sectional .view showing an end support in upward position. Fig. 5 is the same as Fig. 4 showing it in lowered position.

In the drawings there is shown "a clay machinelO in which theducts are formed from plastic clay and continuouslyforced therefrom ina continuous column 11. Said column, as it is forced from the machine, rests upon the cutting table 12 movably supported on the rollers 13 running onthe track 14. Hingedly mounted on the cutting table 12 there are cutting bows 15 which the operator actuates to cutthe column into short and long sections through the medium of the spaced cutting Wires 16. By means thereof the short and long sections indicated at 17 and 18 respectively are formed. The continued move ment of the column forces the cut sections,the

short sections 17 foremost, on to the bed 19015 the rollers 22 which roll upon the sub-decks "23inounted upon the lower portion: 24ofthe cutting table 12. V The bed'19ofthe'rackhas pivoted at the T forward endthereof the end support "25 to which the horns 20 are rigidlysecured. Said end support is hinged to the bed 19 by the pivotal fconnection 26 I so that it ma be ijdroppefd downwardly, "as the position shown in dotted lines with the 'hornse tending horizontally,

] Forlatchingthe hinged support in its upf per position there isa fixed bracket 27 in the the bed and the other end connected with a downwardly ext-ending arm 38 secured. interrotate the shaft 34L against the tension of the form of a quadrant provided with shoulders 28 and 29 through which the hinge pin 26 extend-s, said bracket being rigidly connected to the main bed 19.

Fulcrumed at 30 in the end support there is a pair of levers 31 having one end thereof normally forced upwardly by the compression springs 32, and blocks 33 formed on the other end for normally engaging the shoulders 28 and 29. Extending horizontally through the end of'the bed there is a shaft 34: providedwith a handle 35. Secured to said shaft at opposite ends thereof there are cams 36 so positioned as to bear against the underside of their respective blocks 33. V

The movement of the cam 36 in one direction is resisted by the tension spring 37- having one end connected to thecross frameof mediate the ends of the shaft 34.

Secured to the underside of the bed 19 and extending laterally thereacross there is a forwardly positioned stop shoe 39 for positioning the bed during the cutting of the column, and adjacent'the rear end of said bed there is a similarly positioned stop shoe 40 for positioning the bed while the duct is being trimmed. Also protruding from the side of the bed there are outwardly extending handles 41.

The operation of-the device may be described as follows:

Upon the short and long sections 17 and 18 of the conduit being forced on to the rack with the short section .1? resting upon the end support 25 and the long main section resting upon the bed 19, and after they have been cut, the carriage 21 is rolled laterally out of the way of the oncoming column of clay, the said raclrresting .upon the carriage 21 in properly spaced relation by reason of the shoe 39 and the stop shoe 4O abutting block 42 secured on the carriage. As the carriage is rolled out of the way, the rack is slid therefrom on to a truck which carries it to the trimming department. The operating handle 35is then actuated to spring 37 for causing the enlarged portion of the cams 36 to force the blocks 33 of the levers 31'upwardly against the tension of the springs 32. This causes thebloc'ks 33 to disengage the shoulders 29 infithe quadrant bracket plate 27, and release the endsupport which drops downwardly,into'vertical posithe blocks 33with the shoulder 28 "of the projecting horizontally. In this position the short section is supported by the horns, exposing the normally abuttingend of the main long section so as to readily permit access adapted 'to receive short and lon thereto for beveling while the material is still green and plastic. Thereupon, after the tr1rnming has been completed, the end support 1s manually forced up until it is again locked in horizontal position for engagement of the block 33 with the shoulder 29. This brings the short section back into its position with the long section so that the'rack may be upendedwith the short section in position to support the long section for drying purposes.

' The invention claimed'is:

1. A rack for handling material including a supporting bed, an upwardly extending projection pivotally mounted at one end of said bed for' limiting the movement of the matean upwardly extending projection mounted on the'end of said rack for limiting the movement of the'clay column for determinin the length of the conduits to be cut therefrom,

mechanism for maintaining said projection in its upwardly extending position, and means for releasing said mechanism for permitting sai'dprojection to drop to lowered position for permitting access to the end of the clay conduit supported on said rack.

' '3. A handling rack for clay conduits plastic section's, said rack, being provide with a main supporting bed 'for the long section and a short end support pivoted thereto for the short section, an end horn projecting upwardly from said end support for limiting the position of the sections, mechanism for maintaining said end support inits upper position, and means for releasing said mechanism for permitting it to swingto its lower position for carrying the short section away from the longsection whereby access may be had to the exposed end thereof. I

41A handling rack I for clay conduits adapted to receive short and long plastic sections, saidrack being provided with a main supporting bed for the long section and a short end support pivoted thereto for the short section, an end horn projecting up- .wardly from saidend support for limiting I v@thefposition of the sections, a spring actuated tion as illustrated in Fig. .5. Engagement of latch for normally maintaining said end sup port in its upper position, and amanually operated cam for-releasing said latch for permitting said end support to swing to its lower position for carrying the short section away fromthelong section, whereby access may be had to the exposed end thereof.

5.1The methodof handling and treating clay conduits consisting incutting a column of conduit into a short and long section while in a plastic state, removing the short section from the abutting end of the long section for permitting access thereto whereby the end 1 5 thereof may be trimmed or bevelled while still in a plastic state, replacing the still plastic short section adjacent the treated end of the 1 long section, and thereafter up-ending the long section upon the short section, the m latter acting as a supporting edestalduring the drying and hardening of t e long section. In witness whereof, I have hereunto aflixed my signature. 7

HAROLD D. MCKENZIE. 

